Merry Christmas, Baby!
by HandsThatHeal
Summary: A look into the thoughts and feelings that Arizona and Callie experience during the birth of their second child, Aiden Timothy Robbins Torres. Set on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day of 2014 as an extension of my fic When It Don't Come Easy. COMPLETE!


**Title: **Merry Christmas, Baby!

**Author:** HandsThatHeal

**Beta: ** Funkyshaz57

**Pairing: ** Callie/Arizona

**Rating: ** T

**Summary: **A look into the thoughts and feelings that Arizona and Callie experience during the birth of their second child, Aiden Timothy Robbins Torres. Set on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day of 2014 as an extension of my fic _When It Don't Come Easy_.

**Disclaimer:** All television shows, books, movies, songs, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

* * *

"Dr. Robbins!" Alex Karev stated as he quickly entered the OR holding a surgical mask over his face. "It's Callie. There's a problem."

Arizona's eyes immediately snapped up from her work inside the tiny human lying before her on the operating table, her hands stilling in their place. "What?"

"Her water just broke in the middle of a knee replacement. She passed out, but she's. . ."

Arizona's mind started to race. "She _passed out_? H-how long?" she urgently interrupted, her voice cracking.

"Less than a minute. Bailey's with her now. They're taking her to. . ."

"Shut up, shut up!" she demanded, her worried mind searching for possible causes. "Was it vasovagal? D-did she have a cardiac arrhythmia? Orthostatic hypotension?" she fired off rapidly. "Did they give her steroids to mature the baby's lungs? Is she having contractions?"

"ECG was fine. Baby's heart rate is fine. They started fluids and supplemental oxygen. Corticosteroids are on board. Contractions seem to be about twelve minutes apart."

"Already?" Arizona paused, her mind unable to focus. "I. . .Karev. . ." she shook her head, trying to suppress the memories of Sofia's untimely birth that sprung forth. "I. . .I need you to scrub in," she stammered. Taking a moment to gather herself, she cleared her throat. "It's just an appy. I've already started to re-approximate the external oblique aponeurosis. You just need to irrigate and close."

"Dr. Robbins. . ."

"Now, Karev!" she ordered when her steady surgeon hands began to shake. "Go now!"

* * *

Minutes later Arizona rushed down the OR hallway, pink scrub cap still in place, blue surgical gown flapping behind her. "It's too soon. Not again," she muttered to herself as she repeatedly hit the elevator button, anxiously awaiting the lift to arrive.

Once she was finally deposited on the Maternal and Infant Care Unit, she rushed down the hallway toward the nurse's station. "Shannon! Where's Dr. Torres?" she anxiously asked the charge nurse.

"Labor and Delivery Room 4, Dr. Robbins," she quickly informed.

"Have you paged Dr. Oliver?" Arizona continued her questioning as she turned to hastily move further down the hallway.

"He's in Atlanta with his family for Christmas," Shannon replied, immediately following behind the blonde surgeon. "Dr. Murphy is the resident on call, but Dr. Bailey said not to page her until you got here."

Arizona let out a heavy sigh. "Don't bother paging her," she huffed. "Dr. Bailey and I will take care of everything," she continued with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "Call OR 2 right now and tell Dr. Karev that I said to get his ass up here as soon as he's finished."

"Yes, Dr. Robbins," Shannon agreed, turning on her heel to return to the nurse's station, immediately grabbing the phone.

Finally arriving at her wife's room, Arizona placed her hand on the door knob to enter, but paused briefly, taking a deep breath before letting it out slowly. Try as she might, she was having great difficulty differentiating this baby's birth from Sofia's. Closing her eyes, she ran the facts through her head.

Sofia was born at twenty-three weeks and was considered a micro-preemie. This baby had already made it to thirty-five and a half weeks - almost full-term, but would still be considered a late preterm infant. The new baby would probably weigh around five to six pounds, a far cry from the one pound, one ounce Sofia. This baby would look huge compared to her, but still wouldn't be full term and could potentially face some of the problems associated with prematurity. There should be no risk for NEC, PDA, or brain bleed, but there was still the chance that this baby could have respiratory problems, hypoglycemia, or poor thermoregulation.

Shaking her head, Arizona knew she needed to turn off the doctor inside of her and switch on the loving wife and expectant mother. Everything was going to be fine. The chances of this baby's survival were greater than ninety percent. They had nothing to worry about.

Clearing her throat, she took one last cleansing breath before rushing through the door. "What happened?"

"Thank God! Arizona. . ."

"You're stubborn wife wouldn't sit down when the scrub nurse noticed that she wasn't feeling well," Miranda interrupted, looking up from her position on the stool between Callie's legs. ". . .and instead, she decided to pass out in the middle of a knee replacement."

Callie rolled her eyes, sitting up from her position against the pillows. "I _wasn't_ feeling bad," she countered. Noticing the identical stern looks she received from both her wife and friend, she shrugged sheepishly. "I promise. I _was_ fine. This came out of nowhere. And I didn't pass out until I started to hyperventilate because my water broke in the middle of the damn OR."

Miranda pushed herself away from Callie, snapping her gloves off as she wheeled herself closer to Arizona. "Either way," she huffed, "everything seems to be fine, now. Baby and mom's heart rates are both normal, there was no meconium in the amniotic fluid, mom is dilated to five. . ."

"You know, I _am_ still in the room," Callie groaned. ". . .and I do have a name."

"Calliope. . ."

"Torres. . ." both women warned simultaneously.

Callie again rolled her eyes. "Don't scold me like a child. You're both treating me like I purposely did something wrong, and I don't appreciate. . .Oh, shit!" she gasped before she could finish her tirade.

Arizona was immediately at her side. "Alright, sweetie," she tried to soothe, taking Callie's hand firmly into her own. "We've been to the classes. We've practiced this over and over again. Just breathe."

Callie nodded her head, breathing with her wife through the contraction. "I. . .know it's. . .too soon," she stammered breathlessly. "I can. . .tell. . .that you're. . .worried." Grasping Arizona's hand as tightly as she could, she stared into her wife's bright blue eyes. "I'm sorry. . .Arizona. I'm so. . .so sorry."

Arizona shook her head, gazing intently into the teary chocolate orbs looking back at her. "You didn't do anything wrong. Our baby is going to be fine, Calliope," she insisted, though she was unsure of who she was trying to convince more. "You've done everything right. Sometimes these things just happen."

"These _things_ happen to us way too much," Callie replied as she took a deep breath, the contraction subsiding as she insecurely dropped her wife's gaze. "I can't do this again, Arizona. I just can't. My body clearly wasn't meant to be a _baby house_ for the appropriate amount of time, and I can't do this again. I won't do this again," she continued dejectedly.

"Hey," Arizona said softly, ducking her head in an attempt to catch her wife's eye. "It's okay. It's okay. So. . .this is our last baby. It doesn't matter to me as long as you're both alright."

"I thought you wanted ten kids - _all kinds of kids_," Callie said ruefully, finally looking back up toward her wife.

"That may have been a bit of an exaggeration," she teased with a dimpled grin. "Okay?"

Callie quickly wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "Okay," she relented with a sigh.

Miranda looked between the two worried mothers. "Contractions are about eight minutes apart," she stated after glancing toward the clock on the wall. "I'm going to go now that you're here. You can have the nurses page Dr. Murphy."

"Ummm. . ." Arizona looked up from her wife. "Bailey, I was hoping that you would. . .stay."

"What? Why?" Miranda asked impatiently. "It's Christmas Eve, Arizona. I've been here for nearly twenty-four hours, and I have the very last 250 gigabyte Microsoft XBOX 360 Slim in all of Seattle waiting for me at Target when I leave here. Tuck has been asking for that damn thing for the entire year, and if he doesn't get it, I'll send his heartbroken little butt your way," she warned. "Why do you need me, anyway?"

Arizona looked between her wife and the shorter surgeon standing in front of her. "Look," she began, stepping into Miranda's space. "There's only a skeleton staff here today. Our OB is in Atlanta for the holiday, and I'll be damned if a resident is going to deliver _my_ baby," she continued, her voice rising in volume. "There are only about four doctors in this entire hospital right now who I trust, and three of them are in this room."

"Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no!" Miranda complained. "I'm a surgeon, not a damn baby doctor. I'm only here right now because you are my friends, and I just happened to be in the scrub room when _SHE _passed out," she huffed, motioning toward Callie who sat in the bed, breathing deeply in an attempt to keep herself calm while Arizona went all cage fighter mama bear on _The Nazi_.

"Well, you're here now, and you're _NOT_ leaving," Arizona demanded as she quickly ripped off her surgical gown.

"Are you threatening me?" Miranda asked, defiantly raising her brow.

"Well, yes. Yes I am," Arizona stated firmly. "They won't let me deliver my own child and clearly Callie can't do it herself, so that leaves you and. . .Alex Karev. And, while I think he's a good doctor, he certainly isn't getting anywhere near my wife's - _vagina_ - _ever_ again, so. . ."

"Oh, for God's sake!" Callie spat in disgust. "Seriously, Arizona! That only happened once, like ten years ago!"

"Yes, but jealousy is a green eyed monster, Calliope, and if you ask Sofia, there's no reasoning with a monster."

Callie and Miranda both rolled their eyes. "Enough out of the both of you," Miranda demanded. "I don't talk about sex with anyone, ever. Not any kind of sex. BUT, I _will _tell you that I wouldn't want Alex Karev anywhere near _my_ vajayjay."

"Sing it," Arizona agreed, glancing toward her wife who was leaning forward in the bed, her knuckles white as she grasped the bedrail tightly.

"Don't mind. . .me," Callie groaned, shooting them a death glare. "Just having a. . .contraction. . .trying to bring _your_ child into. . .the world!"

"I need your help," Arizona softly admitted to Miranda as she hurried back to Callie's side. "Please, Bailey. Please stay. I'm going to need you to deliver the baby with Alex on standby in case there are any. . .complications once the baby's here." She swallowed the lump that began to form in her throat. "Just breathe, babe. You're doing great," she murmured into Callie's ear.

Miranda pondered her options. The baby was just over a month early and shouldn't have any problems, but she knew that there was always some risk involved. It _was_ only noon. With the way things seemed to be progressing, she could be home faster than she thought. "Fine. But, I don't want to hear anything from you," she finally relented, pointing directly at Arizona. "You are a wife and a mother today, not a doctor. Do you hear me?"

Arizona smiled. "Yes, I'll try my best," she half-heartedly agreed. "Thank you, Bailey. We'll find an intern to go get Tuck's XBOX for you."

* * *

"Shit, Arizona," Callie muttered through a contraction. "I forgot about. . .Sofia."

"I already told you that she's with Derek and Meredith," Arizona replied from her position behind Callie in the bed. "The only thing you need to worry about is what's happening in this room, right now."

"I'm talking about Christmas, Arizona," Callie growled impatiently. "What do we tell her? Sorry, Sof, Santa skipped over you this year because your baby brother or sister decided to come early?"

"We'll figure it out. Okay?" the blonde replied. "I'll bring Christmas here if I have to. Don't worry."

"Okay, Callie," Miranda interjected. "On the next contraction, I want you to push," she instructed. "You ready over there, Karev?" she asked, briefly glancing to the side of the room where he stood over the clear plastic pediatric bed.

"I'm ready."

Arizona leaned forward supporting Callie who was positioned between her legs. "Are you okay?" Callie asked, turning her head slightly to meet her wife's eyes. "Is your leg okay?"

"I'm fine, Calliope," she replied, kissing her cheek. Gazing into soulful brown eyes, Arizona smiled brightly. "We're having another baby," she whispered, the gravity of the situation hitting her full force.

"I'm having _your_ baby," Callie stated softly before the next contraction hit her forcibly.

Arizona leaned forward with Callie as she pushed for the first time. This was their second child, but in many ways, this was their first true delivery. The events surrounding Sofia's birth were a whirlwind of terrifying activity that Callie didn't even remember and that Arizona would have liked to forget.

"Ok, I can see the top of the baby's head. Lots of black hair," Miranda stated with a smile. "Okay, stop."

Callie leaned back against Arizona. "You're doing great, Callie," Arizona encouraged.

"You ready?" Miranda asked.

Callie nodded, bearing down to push once again.

Arizona couldn't help the tear that slipped from her eye. Sofia meant the world to her, there was no denying that, but this - this was almost more than she could bear. The fact that Callie - her wife - literally was about to give birth to _her_ baby brought forth such profound emotions that she couldn't help but feel more than a little overwhelmed by the sincere love, devotion, and responsibility that consumed her.

Several minutes and pushes later, Miranda looked up toward an exhausted Callie. "Just one more big push, and your baby will be here."

Callie tiredly mustered the remainder of her energy and did as she was instructed, bearing down as hard as she could while Arizona repeated loving encouragement into her ear.

"Just a little bit more, baby. You're doing so _awesome_. I love you, Calliope."

"It's a boy," Miranda called delightfully moments later as the baby was forced from within his cozy home and into the cold, harsh world.

Callie and Arizona both anxiously looked toward the woman cradling their son in her arms. "Any sounds?" Arizona asked fearfully.

"Bailey!" Callie desperately cried into the silence of the room.

"Come on, baby. Come on little man. Give me a cry," Miranda repeated over and over again, stimulating the newborn's chest and arms, encouraging him to breathe.

Miranda looked up from the silent child, catching the worried looks on both mothers' faces. "Bailey!" Arizona barked as she quickly moved to exit the bed.

"Don't move, Arizona!" Miranda warned. "You don't get to be a doctor today."

"Bailey, do _NOT_ tell me what I do or do not get to do!" the blonde argued as she climbed down off the bed, quickly moving toward the surgeon holding her lifeless son. "Karev!"

An instant later, the room filled with the sound of a healthy wail emanating from the tiny infant as he cried for the first time, thankfully kick starting his lungs. Miranda quickly suctioned his mouth and nose before covering him with a blanket and placing him against Callie's chest. "Here you go, mommy," she cooed.

"Oh my God," Callie gasped as she gazed at their son for the first time.

Arizona stood silently watching the scene unfold before her. Suddenly, in that instant, the feelings that overcame her were indescribable. There, lying on her wife's chest was a tiny human - _her_ tiny human - made of her own flesh and blood. After waiting and watching him grow inside her wife - there he was - someone she would die for without even knowing him. Someone she already loved more than anything after only a few ticks of the clock.

"Do you want to cut the cord, momma?" Miranda asked over the din of the baby's cries, interrupting her silent reverie.

"Umm. . .I. . .yes," she stammered looking into Callie's eyes as she nervously took the proffered surgical scissors. She blinked twice, her gaze faltering as she looked toward her work to snip through the cord with skilled precision.

"I need to take him, Dr. Robbins," Alex said as he stepped up beside her. "I need to listen to his heart and lungs to see how he's transitioning."

Arizona shook her head, trying to clear the fog that invaded her mind. She knew all of this. She knew the procedure - Apgar tests one minute and then five minutes after birth, but she was wholly unable to make herself move away from her wife and son.

"Arizona."

Callie's voice finally cut through her hazy mind.

"Are you okay?"

"I. . .I'm fine," she answered softly, stepping aside so Alex could retrieve the baby from Callie's chest.

"Arizona. Sweetie, I think you should sit down," Callie urged, noticing the still dazed look masking her wife's every feature.

"I. . .umm. . .yeah," she stammered. "Maybe that would be a good idea."

Arizona gingerly slid into the chair next to Callie's hospital bed, slowly sliding the pink scrub cap from her head to reveal golden braids. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, going over in her mind the events that led her to this very moment.

While most women dreamed of becoming a mother at some point in their lives, she never planned that this day would come. Instead, she planned for an education and a career while enjoying sex with multiple women. She liked her life the way it was and didn't want it to change, but her path and plan was vastly altered when she met the beautiful Latina named Calliope Torres.

Callie. She loved her more now than she ever thought possible. Not in the sense of a scale of one to ten, but more on a scale of - she loved her a certain way before, but now there was an entirely new sector of love and respect she felt. This was a new feeling she didn't previously know existed and only added to the love she felt before. This was a different type of love. There really needed to be more words for love in the English language.

Her son. She was amazed. Stunned. Excited. Arizona couldn't help the tears that escaped her closed eyes as a super magic smile crept onto her lips.

It was so difficult to outline her feelings. She loved Sofia, but _this_ was just so surreal. No experience came weighted with greater emotional expectations than the birth of a child. There was no labor with Sofia. There was no pushing, there was no build up to a miracle. It was like one moment she was still a dream, and the next she was there fighting against all the complications. A really small tiny human, but a really strong tiny human. One pound, one ounce of strong with beautiful black hair. A beautiful baby whom she loved with all her heart. Nothing would ever change that fact - but this - the way she felt about her son was like the most beautiful heart felt feeling that reached way into her soul and took her breath away. She never knew what _"love"_ really was until now. This child's birth solidified her acceptance that life was no longer just about her and Callie. While it was once wholly about their little girl who fought so hard to survive, it was now also about the baby boy lying on the table to her left. Their health, happiness, heart, soul, and spirit were all that mattered.

"Arizona," Callie said softly, reaching over the bedrail to gently stroke an ivory cheek, brushing away the tears she found there. "What are you thinking?"

"He's perfect, Calliope. I. . .I'm just amazed at how perfect he is."

"One minute Apgar score is seven," Alex stated from across the room.

Arizona's attention was immediately piqued. "What? Why?" she questioned, jumping up from her seat. "What's the matter."

"He was early, sweetie," Callie tried to soothe. "That's a very respectable score in my book." Arizona's worried gaze moved from where she strained to see her son who was surrounded by Alex and several nurses back toward her wife. "Sit down with me, Arizona. I need you to hold my hand," Callie requested.

Arizona complied, though her attention remained solely in the direction of their crying baby, her right knee bouncing as she sat.

"Weighs five pounds, eleven ounces," Alex informed the room. "Twenty inches long. Head circumference 12.8 inches."

Callie glanced toward her wife, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. Arizona was the most steadfast person she knew and seeing her like this - a jumbled mess of nerves and emotions - only made her more endearing. If it was possible, seeing Arizona in this new light only made her love her wife even more.

Arizona loved her with all her heart, Callie knew that. She also knew that her wife loved Sofia just as much or more. But, the look on Arizona's face when she heard their son cry for the first time was unparalleled to any amount of love and devotion she had ever witnessed.

Callie knew that feeling well. Seeing Sofia for the first time brought on such an onslaught of emotions that she was rendered momentarily speechless as her mind and body metabolized the commitment and obligation she suddenly felt toward the very tiny human lying before her.

Becoming a mother was like no other feeling in the world. It was indeed one of her ultimate dreams in life, but when the time actually came, motherhood proved not an easy task. It required a lot of maturity and responsibility, and most importantly, an emotional and physical readiness that she was initially unable to fulfill. Arizona Robbins, the woman who didn't ever want children, was the one who provided the necessary stability in the first months of Sofia's life. Mark played an integral part, Callie was sure, but it was Arizona who provided the love, care, and attention Sofia truly needed.

"Five minute Apgar score is ten," Alex announced.

Callie chuckled softly as she witnessed Arizona do a small happy dance in her seat, the relief her wife felt evident in her every feature as her entire body began to relax. "See, babe. He's perfect," she said happily.

Arizona quickly stood from her seat, leaning over Callie to capture her lips in an insistent kiss. "I love you so much, Calliope," she said earnestly when she pulled back. "So, _so_ much."

"Alright, that's enough of that business," Miranda groaned as she stood from her seat where she had been working between Callie's legs. "All is well down _here_. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to spend the rest of Christmas Eve with _my _family, not yours," she teased sarcastically. "Is that okay with you, Dr. Robbins?"

Callie pressed her lips together in a firm line, trying to stifle her laughter at the look on her wife's face.

"Yes, Dr. Bailey. That's fine with me," Arizona conceded sheepishly.

"Thank you," Miranda said as she started to walk away. "You did good, Torres. Real good," she continued as she gazed at the child Alex was carrying toward them.

"Thanks, Bailey," Callie said sincerely as she watched her friend exit the room.

"Here you go, Dr. Robbins," Alex said with a smirk as he gently handed the swaddled infant wearing a blue beanie over to his momma.

Cradling the tiny bundle in her arms for the very first time, Arizona was consumed by a feeling of total elation that was more than a little difficult for her to digest. She felt so much love and adoration immediately for this little bundle of joy, and she just couldn't help but want to get to know him.

Slightly pulling back the blue blanket keeping him warm, she grasped one miniature hand to count all of his fingers before moving to the next to do the same. Maneuvering him so that she could free his legs from the confinement of the blanket, she then counted ten tiny toes to make certain that he really was perfect.

Callie silently watched her wife lovingly place a gentle kiss on the bottoms of both if his wrinkled feet. "How you doing over there, momma?" she asked knowingly.

Arizona hesitantly looked up from the baby toward an exhausted Callie. Stepping closer to the bed, she sat on the side, bringing the child closer to her wife for a better view. "He looks like you, Arizona."

The blonde once again forced her eyes away from her son's face to meet Callie's attentive gaze. "I was going to say that, but. . ."

"Why not say it?" Callie asked with a slight frown. "It's true, sweetie. He may have black hair and a darker complexion, but this baby is one hundred percent your child. Just look at those cheeks. . .and those dimples," she continued as she affectionately ran one finger over the child's caramel colored brow.

"Callie, I. . ." Arizona trailed off, her emotions getting the better if her.

"What, babe? What is it?"

Arizona shook her head as silent tears began to fall. "I. . . I love you, Calliope, and I love Sofia. . ._so_ much."

"I know that, Arizona," Callie assured her, reaching over to lightly stroke her arm.

"But this - with him - I feel like I already have a. . ._bond_ to this precious little person, and he's not even an hour old," she stated, holding him to her body with one arm as she wiped the tears from her face with the other hand. "I just don't want you to _ever_ think that I. . ."

"I don't," Callie immediately interrupted. ". . .and I won't."

"Callie. . ."

Pushing herself to sit up further in the bed, Callie leaned forward to kiss her wife's cheek. "The way you feel for him doesn't diminish the love you have for Sofia. I know that. This is just a. . ._different_ love - a _different_ bond. He really is _yours_, Arizona. He's _your_ baby. . ."

"He's _our _baby," Arizona interjected.

"Yes, but your blood runs through his veins. Just like mine runs through Sofia's. Do you think I love this baby any less because he isn't made up of my DNA?"

"What? I would never think that," Arizona stated adamantly, momentarily shocked at her wife's question.

"Exactly," Callie contended with a smile. "I'm not being dismissive of DNA, ancestry, or. . .or biological connections because those things are all very important," she stated honestly, "but DNA doesn't make a family, Arizona. Love does. You know that."

Arizona held Callie's gaze momentarily before she reflexively looked back toward the infant in her arms. She just couldn't help herself. She now lived for the sight of him. He really was intoxicating, just as Callie had told her babies would be.

"I don't know how I ever thought I didn't want this," she stated simply.

"Me either," Callie said with a slight chuckle. "You're so good at it. Look at him. He's already got you wrapped around his little finger."

Arizona smiled widely. "It's true," she admitted without hesitation.

They both sat silently, taking in the moment spent with the newest addition to their family. Clearing her throat, Arizona pulled her gaze away from the now sleeping baby. "Thank you, Callie. Thank you for this."

"Thank _you_ for changing your mind."

"I wouldn't trade this moment for anything in the world," Arizona admitted through a fresh wave of tears. "Thank you for helping me realize who I truly am - who I was meant to be. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to choose."

Callie regarded her wife curiously, recoiling slightly at her words. "Wh-what's that supposed to mean?"

Arizona sighed, internally scolding herself for opening her mouth. She hadn't actually meant to say those words out loud, especially not today of all days, but the overwhelming mix of emotions she was feeling had greatly compromised the filter between her brain and her mouth. "I didn't get a choice when it came to Sofia. I wanted you. I loved you. I knew that I would love the baby, but I didn't really have a choice. If I wanted to be with you, I had to accept the new little life that was showing up, and somehow, in doing so, I lost myself somewhere along the way."

Callie stared speechless at her wife, tears welling in her tired eyes. That was years ago. She thought it was all water under the bridge, but clearly Arizona still harbored negative feelings toward that time in their life. "I. . .I thought we were past that."

"We are," Arizona softly replied. "We are so far past it that it's not even an issue, but. . .I never got a choice, Callie. It was taken out of my hands and while I would never in a million years go back and change my decision to stay, the point is that _this_ time I got to choose. Instead of crying tears of heartache in an elevator I got to sit down with you and make the conscious decision to extend our family."

Callie couldn't stop the tears that filled her eyes before unabashedly flowing down her face. Turning her head to the side, she quickly wiped her cheeks, purposely averting her wife's gaze.

"Callie. . ."

"No, Arizona. I get it," she replied, glaring angrily at her wife. "I thought we were over it, but clearly - four years later - we are still here. Mark is dead, Arizona. You legally adopted Sofia. Is nothing good enough for you?" she spat, the events of the day getting the better of her.

"Just stop right there, Callie. That's not fair. You _are_ good enough for me. _Sofia_ is more than enough for me. That's not what I'm saying at all," Arizona fired back, equally as emotional as her wife.

"What exactly are you saying then, Arizona?" Callie huffed. "And why now of all the times in the world?"

Arizona took a deep calming breath, unwilling to escalate this situation any further while holding her newborn son in her arms. Moving to sit next to Callie on the hospital bed, she searched for her teary gaze, immediately feeling guilty for upsetting her. This should be a time of happiness and celebration, not of tears and arguments. Maybe her comments were ill timed, but lack of communication had always been a huge problem for them, and this time, she wanted to get it right. She didn't want there to be a question in anyone's mind about how she truly felt.

"I love Sofia, you know that, I shouldn't even have to say it," Arizona began. "She's my daughter and has been from the first moment I heard her heartbeat. I'll never love her any differently," she stated as she hesitantly reached forward to brush the tears from Callie's face. "All I meant, Calliope, was that this time is different. It doesn't mean I love anyone any less, or any more. You may not want to admit it, but you know as well as I do that last time was. . .different. I didn't have a choice in deciding when we brought a child into this world the first time around, but I did have a choice whether to be part of it. I chose to be all in, and not once have I ever regretted making that choice. But please. . .please just for one second try to see things from my perspective."

Callie watched as Arizona held their newborn baby. The love she could feel emanating from her wife's form was overwhelmingly tangible. Considering Arizona's words, she thought back to when she found out that she was pregnant with Sofia - to when she stood in an elevator knowing that she had stomped all over Arizona's heart. The sheer devastation that was written on Arizona's face would forever be burned into Callie's mind, but until this moment, she never mentioned her feelings. They never really talked about it. She asked her to be a part of her plan, Arizona reluctantly agreed, and they ultimately moved forward. At least she thought they had.

"You left me, Arizona. You weren't the only one who was devastated," Callie said in a hushed voice. "Do you think that was how I wanted things to happen? I wanted a baby. Not with Mark, but with _you_. I didn't want conversations with_ him_ about an amnio or finding out the baby's gender. I wanted conversations with _you_ about sperm donors and implantation and. . .and fertilization. All I wanted was you."

"Callie. . ."

"And then, suddenly, there you were, begging me to take you back - to give you another chance. I got what I wanted. You came back to me - for me - but I screwed everything up. You were there and you said you were in, but I was terrified that once I told you I was pregnant that you would leave, again. All I wanted was you," Callie repeated. "All I _needed_ was you. Those weren't tears of joy in that elevator, Arizona."

Callie and Arizona gazed at one another for a long while, both reliving the insecurities and feelings of inadequacy they felt during that time. "I get it, Arizona," Callie finally spoke. "I know you love Sofia, and I know you love me. I'm sorry I overreacted," she continued, ruefully shaking her head. "This baby's conception and birth may have been more of a conscious decision and certainly more ideal, but that doesn't mean that I would change one moment of my life with Sofia. I wouldn't change that for anything in the world."

Arizona smiled fondly at her wife. "I'm glad we agree," she replied, bending down to kiss Callie's temple.

It took all Callie had to resist the urge to scoop the baby from her wife's arms to hold him and love on him, but instead she sat back, content for the moment to just watch Arizona with their son. She knew her time would come - she would have time to bond with him while breastfeeding, a luxury her wife would not be granted.

"Dr. Robbins, I need to take him to the NICU for a while," Alex said hesitantly when he re-entered the room, stepping up beside them. "You can come with us if you want."

Arizona looked from the baby back toward Callie, silently asking her permission. "Go," she replied with a smile, self-consciously wiping the residual moisture from her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I'll be fine."

"But. . .you haven't even really held him yet," Arizona countered, the realization setting in.

"That's because _you're_ a baby hog," Callie teased.

"Oh crap. I'm sorry," Arizona said humbly, extending her arms for her wife to retrieve the baby.

"It's okay, Arizona. I was just joking." Callie laughed. "You should go with Aiden to the NICU. I'll call Sofia."

"Are you. . ." Arizona trailed off, overwhelmed by the sound of the baby's name spoken for the very first time. "Aiden?"

"That's his name, right?" Callie asked doubtfully. "Or did you change your mind again?"

"No. I. . .just. . ." Arizona paused, shaking her head, a giant smile gracing her face. "Is that you're name, baby boy? Are you an Aiden?" she cooed as she looked down into the angelic face of the baby in her arms. "Aiden Timothy Robbins Torres," she then stated to no one in particular as she leaned forward to briefly kiss Callie's lips.

Callie smiled, letting out a contented sigh. "Sounds perfect."

* * *

The following morning Callie awoke with a start, the sound of a newborn's cry permeating her lethargic mind. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked around her hospital room for the source of the sound. In the corner of the room, Arizona stood with her back to her as she murmured softly to the baby in her arms. "Arizona?" Callie called softly.

Arizona turned on her heel. "Good morning, pretty lady," she replied as she stepped closer to her wife.

Looking to her side, Callie noticed a beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the corner of the room with a mountain of wrapped packages underneath it, Sofia cozily sleeping on a cot beside her hospital bed. Moving too quickly to sit up in bed, her sore muscles protested her movement as a groan emanated from her lips. "You okay?" Arizona asked, the sincere concern evident in her tone.

"I hurt in places I didn't even know existed," Callie responded, her gaze quickly darting around the room. "Arizona, what did you do?"

The blonde smiled brightly. "I told you I'd bring Christmas here if I needed to, so that's what I did."

The rustling if blankets to their right caught both women's attention. "Momma?" a sleepy voice called.

Arizona settled Aiden into Callie's arms before moving to sit beside Sofia on the cot. "Hey there, little miss," she said as she smoothed dark hair back from the three-year-old's face. "Come here," she said as she gathered Sofia into her arms. "I have someone I want you to meet."

Standing slowly, Arizona hoisted the little girl clad in Christmas pajamas onto her right hip before stepping toward the rest of her family. "Sofia, this is your baby brother, Aiden," she said as she placed the little girl onto the bed beside Callie.

"He's little," Sofia said happily, curiously scrutinizing the swaddled bundle.

"Yeah, he is," Callie agreed, looking up into Arizona's moist blue eyes.

"Momma, did Santa bring him to you and mommy for Christmas?"

Callie and Arizona both chuckled ruefully, neither gaze faltering. "You could say that," Arizona replied as she leaned in to kiss her wife's full lips.

Sofia reached forward, gently taking her brother's tiny hands into her own. "Hi, Aiden," she said happily. "I'm Sofia. I'm your big sister."

"You're going to be the Best. Big sister. Ever!" Arizona replied excitedly when she joined her family on the bed.

Callie watched as Arizona interacted with both if their children. She couldn't remember a time when she saw her wife happier than this very moment. Leaning closer to her, she gently nuzzled her nose against her neck. "I love you, Arizona," she softly whispered into her ear. "Merry Christmas."

Arizona turned her head, meeting her wife's lips in a fervent kiss that she hoped would convey every ounce of love, respect, hope, and joy she was feeling. Pulling back slowly, she gazed lovingly into her deep chocolate eyes. "Merry Christmas, baby."

* * *

**AN: **I hope you enjoyed this little addition to _When It Don't Come Easy. _As always, let me know what you think! Happy Holidays to you and yours!


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